A review by beccaannekent
Cruel is the Light by Sophie Clark

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A delightfully engaging debut from Sophie Clark, Cruel is the Light brings a wonderfully complex fantasy Rome featuring Demons, Gods and a fantastic grumpy x sunshine romance to life. 

As a lifelong fan of Rome, the history of the city and the Vatican, I found Sophie’s description incredibly immersive. I felt like I was running through the streets with Selene and Jules, exploring every crevice of St Paul’s and sat on the rooftops of some of the most famous ancient architecture in the world. 

However, sometimes the formatting and world building fell short of my expectations. The magic was interesting, but I’m still unsure of how it comes to be in the different characters and the exact repercussions of using it (if any). There were times throughout the chapters where it was not defined which POV it was out of the two main characters and I had to reread sections to establish this. 

The romance was strong, I did love their relationship with one another. However I would disagree with the definition of “enemies to lovers”. I think a more accurate trope would be reluctant allies! 

I want to thank NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Sophie Clark for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. The review is my own opinion and I have given this freely.